Check out Safety Emporium for your N95, N99, and face shield needs.
From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (10 articles)
Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2020 07:35:39 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID: 57654FF1-CF22-4115-BED1-CF51079F29C7**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, September 25, 2020 at 7:35:20 AM
A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
Connecting Chemistry and Safety at http://www.dchas.org
All article summaries and tags are archived at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas
Table of Contents (10 articles)
HAZMAT CREWS CALLED TO PROPANE TRUCK ROLLOVER
Tags: us_NY, transportation, release, injury, propane
CHEMICAL SPILL ON A19 LED TO CLOSURE
Tags: United_Kingdom, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical
TRIAL ON HARVEY PLANT FIRE RESUMES AFTER COVID-19 DELAY
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, illegal
SACRAMENTO FIRE INTRODUCES ENGINES THAT WILL HELP KEEP FIREFIGHTERS SAFE FROM TOXIC CHEMICALS
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, toxics
CHEMICAL WEAPONS DUMPED AFTER WORLD WAR II ARE POLLUTING BALTIC SEA
Tags: Denmark, public, discovery, environmental, mustard_gas, waste
CHEMICAL LEAK SPREADS STENCH OVER LARGE AREAS OF HSINCHU COUNTY, THEN CAUSES FIRE ?? TAIWAN ENGLISH NEWS
Tags: Taiwan, industrial, fire, response, other_chemical
NFD RESPONDS TO CHEMICAL FOUND DISPOSED IN GARBAGE
Tags: us_IA, transportation, release, injury, unknown_chemical
LONDONDERRY FIRE ON SCENE OF CHEMICAL EMERGENCY ON LIBERTY DR
Tags: us_NH, transportation, release, response, hydrogen_peroxide
FIRE BREAKS OUT AT EAST DELHI??S ADITYA MEGA MALL, NO CASUALTY REPORTED
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD MOVING FORWARD WITH ??QUORUM OF ONE,?? ADDS STAFF
Tags: us_WA, public, follow-up, environmental
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT CREWS CALLED TO PROPANE TRUCK ROLLOVER
https://www.post-journal.com/news/page-one/2020/09/hazmat-crews-called-to-propane-truck-rollover/
Tags: us_NY, transportation, release, injury, propane
SHERIDAN ?? At least two people were reported injured in a crash involving a sedan and propane truck Thursday afternoon.
Volunteer firefighters from Sheridan were called to the collision at the intersection of South Roberts and Center roads around 2 p.m. Fire officials reported that the propane truck, which ended up on its side after the crash, was leaking fluids.
Chautauqua County Hazmat members were requested to the scene, as well as the fire police team to help with traffic control.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SPILL ON A19 LED TO CLOSURE
https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/chemical-spill-a19-led-closure-18990908
Tags: United_Kingdom, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical
A lorry spilled noxious-smelling chemical products on the A19 yesterday, prompting police to warn nearby residents to keep their doors and windows shut.
An HGV, loaded with bulk containers of chemical products, was travelling south from the Mandale area of Cleveland at around 5.30pm.
Several drivers noticed a white substance on the road behind the lorry and a strong smell of chemicals.
They reported this to police who responded by closing the A19 in both directions.
As a precaution, Cleveland Police warned people living nearby about the 'noxious' smelling chemical spill and told them to, "keep doors and windows shut as we work with partners to investigate."
---------------------------------------------
TRIAL ON HARVEY PLANT FIRE RESUMES AFTER COVID-19 DELAY
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/trial-harvey-plant-fire-resumes-covid-19-delay-73229589
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, illegal
HOUSTON -- A trial in which a chemical manufacturer is facing charges over a fire at its suburban Houston plant during Hurricane Harvey that sent toxic smoke into the air in 2017 resumed on Thursday following a six-month delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Arkema Inc., a subsidiary of a French chemical manufacturer, and two of its employees are on trial over charges accusing them of releasing toxic pollutants.
Jurors on Thursday heard a summary of the case from prosecutors and defense attorneys to refresh their memories with what had so far been presented at trial. Testimony resumed later in the day and is set to continue Friday.
Due to the pandemic, the trial is being held in a courtroom that has been set up at NRG Arena, a large exhibition hall that usually hosts concerts and special events including the city's annual livestock show and rodeo. The public is being allowed to watch the trial through a livestream from a courtroom in the downtown criminal courthouse.
---------------------------------------------
SACRAMENTO FIRE INTRODUCES ENGINES THAT WILL HELP KEEP FIREFIGHTERS SAFE FROM TOXIC CHEMICALS
https://fox40.com/news/local-news/sacramento-fire-introduces-engines-that-will-help-keep-firefighters-safe-from-toxic-chemicals/
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, toxics
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) ?? Tamara Thacher is believed to have died from her job as a firefighter, years after running into burning buildings.
Her memorial last December was a time of reflection, not just of her life and service but the illness that cut her life short.
The Sacramento Fire Department said her cancer is presumed to be the result of exposure to toxic chemicals firefighters potentially encounter every day.
??My goal is never to have another firefighter like Tami Thacher lose their life because of contracting cancer,?? Chief Gary Loesch explained.
The department introduced two engines called Clean Cab Apparatus to help keep firefighters safe.
The department estimates the Clean Cab Apparatus costs about $35,000 more than a truck without clean air modifications.
The engines include hoses to rinse firefighters off and ventilated compartments to store contaminated equipment outside of the truck.
??Also, the inside of the cabs have the special HEPA filters that constantly filter our systems ?| to remove any of the particulates that can be harmful to us,?? Loesch said.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL WEAPONS DUMPED AFTER WORLD WAR II ARE POLLUTING BALTIC SEA
https://cen.acs.org/environment/pollution/Chemical-weapons-dumped-World-War/98/i37
Tags: Denmark, public, discovery, environmental, mustard_gas, waste
Mustard gas and other agents in chemical weapons dumped after World War II are polluting the Baltic Sea??s underwater sediment.
Researchers found traces of arsenic-containing agents and mustard gas products in sediment and fish near three weapon disposal sites.
These agents ??can actually contaminate the Baltic ecosystem, which is kind of fragile,?? says Jacek Be?dowski, a professor at the Institute of Oceanology at the Polish Academy of Sciences and one of the coauthors of the study (Mar. Environ. Res. 2020, DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105112).
The warfare agents came from the German Army in WWII. After Germany??s defeat, the Soviet Union dumped the captured chemical weapons in the Baltic Sea. The British and Americans did the same in the Skagerrak strait, between Norway and Sweden to the north and Denmark to the south. At the time, this disposal method was deemed less hazardous than burning the materials.
The authors of the study say the Soviets jettisoned at least 50,000 metric tons (t) of German weapons into the Baltic Sea, some 15,000 t of which contained chemical agents. Previous reports concluded that most of these munitions probably had sunk into mud on the seafloor and were largely harmless.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL LEAK SPREADS STENCH OVER LARGE AREAS OF HSINCHU COUNTY, THEN CAUSES FIRE ?? TAIWAN ENGLISH NEWS
https://taiwanenglishnews.com/chemical-leak-spreads-stench-over-large-areas-of-hsinchu-county-then-causes-fire/
Tags: Taiwan, industrial, fire, response, other_chemical
A leak of chemical gas at the Far Eastern New Century Corporation Chemical Fiber Plant in Xinpu Township spread a pungent smell over large areas of Hsinchu County, could be smelled as far away as Miaoli County, and then caused a fire, Wednesday evening, September 23.
The Hsinchu County Environmental Protection Bureau was first informed of the leak at 5:30 pm.
The leak consisted of a mixture of biphenyl and diphenyl ethers, according to a United Daily News report. Residents in surrounding areas including Hsinchu City and as far away as Zhunan Township in Miaoli County reported a strong odor, and some said they felt dizzy and nauseous.
Hsinchu County EPB dispatched personnel to collect air samples, and monitor air quality in affected areas.
At 9:26 pm the Hsinchu County Fire Department reported that the site of the leak at the chemical fiber plant was on fire.
The company originally claimed that the leak had been repaired around 30 minutes after the incident. However, according to Liberty Times, the valve components had been damaged due to high temperatures, and gases continued leaking from the damaged unit.
Firefighters deployed water spray on the unit in an attempt to prevent ignition, but shortly after 9:00 pm it burst into flames.
---------------------------------------------
NFD RESPONDS TO CHEMICAL FOUND DISPOSED IN GARBAGE
https://www.newtondailynews.com/2020/09/23/nfd-responds-to-chemical-found-disposed-in-garbage/a9jdo3o/
Tags: us_IA, transportation, release, injury, unknown_chemical
The Newton Fire Department responded to call about a person who had been splashed with a chemical that had been disposed of in the garbage. The chemical caused a burning sensation when it came in contact with the person??s skin.
The incident occurred before 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22, near the intersection of South Eighth Avenue West and West Seventh Street South, across the street from Woodrow Wilson Elementary School. Once on scene, fire crews found the chemical was leaking from the garbage truck and was reacting with the city street, according to Newton Fire Chief Jarrod Wellik.
The NFD identified and neutralized the chemical, rendering it harmless. The person who had come in contact with the chemical was not transported to the hospital. The origin of the chemical remains under investigation.
---------------------------------------------
LONDONDERRY FIRE ON SCENE OF CHEMICAL EMERGENCY ON LIBERTY DR
https://patch.com/new-hampshire/londonderry/londonderry-fire-scene-chemical-emergency-liberty-dr
Tags: us_NH, transportation, release, response, hydrogen_peroxide
LONDONDERRY, NH - On September 23, 2020 at 4:30 PM Londonderry Fire and Police were dispatched to BSP Freight on Liberty Drive.
While enroute to the scene dispatch advised of a Haz Mat situation involving a 55 Gallon Drum of Hydrogen Peroxide actively leaking.
Londonderry Police are on the scene blocking the entrance to the trucking area, and Londonderry Fire is working to mitigate the hazard in the loading dock area at the rear of the building.
It does not to be a large a large incident at this time.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE BREAKS OUT AT EAST DELHI??S ADITYA MEGA MALL, NO CASUALTY REPORTED
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/fire-breaks-out-at-east-delhi-s-aditya-mega-mall-no-casualty-reported/story-ckEFV9dsgjVf9pF9VbdXtM.html
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
A fire broke out in a medical shop and godown located on the second floor of Aditya Mega Mall in east Delhi??s Karkardooma on Thursday morning, the fire department said.
The shop was locked and there was no one inside; no casualty was reported, said Atul Garg, director, Delhi Fire Services.
The absence of traffic on the road leading to the mall in the morning helped the fire department reach the place quickly and douse the flames, said Garg.
??We received a call about the blaze at 7.50am. We sent eight fire tenders. They controlled the blaze by 8.50am,?? said Garg.
He said that the firefighters had to break open the shutter of the shop to enter and fight the fire. ??There was a lot of packaging and chemical items inside, and that led to a lot of smoke. But we have controlled the situation,?? said the officer.
The trigger for the blaze remains unknown.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD MOVING FORWARD WITH ??QUORUM OF ONE,?? ADDS STAFF
https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/20340-chemical-safety-board-moving-forward-with-quorum-of-one-adds-staff
Tags: us_WA, public, follow-up, environmental
Washington ?? Katherine Lemos remains the chair, CEO and lone member of the Chemical Safety Board ?? a reality she said is ??not ideal?? but allows the agency to maintain its function while working to address boardroom staffing gaps.
Speaking during a Sept. 2 CSB business meeting, Lemos asserted that ??there??s no question about the legality of the board acting as a quorum of one?? under current regulatory language. ??So, until more board members are appointed, we are pressing forward with our investigations and safety products.??
Lemos discussed other critical agency needs as well as various management challenges identified in a July 6 report from by the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General.
Filling the board??s four vacant seats is at the top of both lists, even as the agency continues to be a frequent target for elimination under the Trump administration.
---------------------------------------------
---
For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas
Previous post | Top of Page | Next post